“Today was a good day. We run for 22 km and didn’t come across a single open water lead. A ton of large hummocky ice, as big as one’s house, but overall our route was clear. Another good news is that we have reached 87? of North Latitude. There are about 500 km left until Greenland. The dogs run well as if they got springs in their feet: the sled is almost empty. We expect scheduled air resupply to be arranged on April 30th by Canadian Kenn Borek Air

Details

“Today was a good day. We run for 22 km and didn’t come across a single open water lead. A ton of large hummocky ice, as big as one’s house, but overall our route was clear. Another good news is that we have reached 87? of North Latitude. There are about 500 km left until Greenland. The dogs run well as if they got springs in their feet: the sled is almost empty. We expect scheduled air resupply to be arranged on April 30th by Canadian Kenn Borek Air. It will deliver ten barrels of provision for us and the dogs. The food was packed back in Petrozavodsk (Republic of Karelia, Russia) by Victor and his team, and then they were shipped to Canada via Spitsbergen. We both wonder how our dogs are going to react to the restored weight of the sled (after resupply) which will be close to 520 kg again. Back at the start, the dogs were fresh and didn’t mind the weight, but now after a few days of a relative break they might throw some opposition at us. By April 30th we are planning to reach 85@@apos@@ of North Latitude which means we have 6 days to run two degrees south. All our thoughts and talks are about Greenland and how wonderful it will be to feel the firm terra under our feet.”

Russian polar station “Barneo” has finished its season in the Arctic and by now everyone is back at Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen Island where they will board planes taking them back home. Fedor and Victor had a great experience of working with the people of “Barneo”, where everyone was highly professional in his trade and exuberated a great deal of enthusiasm towards the visitors.

Right now there is another Russian expedition happening in the Arctic: The Sea-Ice Automobile Expedition 2013. The team left Severnaya Zemlya (Northern Land) and is heading towards Canada (Resolute Bay) via the North Pole. Their means of transportation - two amphibious vehicles “Emelja”.

“We are staying put today. The snowstorm is horrendous with the visibility close to zero. It got us good; we’ve been stuck here for 24 hours. Right now it’s the end of the day and the wind is finally starting to subside. However, we just finished feeding the dogs and cannot start running. The snow has completely covered all the large and small ice cracks, and we’ll have to be extremely careful once we resume our journey. The bear has disappeared somewhere as soon as the storm had arrived. We still had our shotgun (12 mm caliber) ready, and took turns sleeping. Our coordinates haven’t changed much; the sea ice is minimal. Another day

Details

“We are staying put today. The snowstorm is horrendous with the visibility close to zero. It got us good; we’ve been stuck here for 24 hours. Right now it’s the end of the day and the wind is finally starting to subside. However, we just finished feeding the dogs and cannot start running. The snow has completely covered all the large and small ice cracks, and we’ll have to be extremely careful once we resume our journey. The bear has disappeared somewhere as soon as the storm had arrived. We still had our shotgun (12 mm caliber) ready, and took turns sleeping. Our coordinates haven’t changed much; the sea ice is minimal. Another day had passed, but with no results. Victor and I look at this pause as a mini- break for our dogs which will do them good. On our right side a large polynya has spread its waters for 20 km south. There is no other choice but to move along the polynya, thankfully, it’s along our route and we don’t have to wait to cross it.”

Expedition is using satellite tracking beacons – Yellow Brick. Current position is here: http://yb.tl/konyukhov

“Today we were unable to reach our daily goal of covering a scheduled amount of kilometers. As soon as we left the camp, we came to a large polynya. It’s spread out from north to south, and we didn’t have any other choice but to move along its edge. A few times we saw a seal

Details

“Today we were unable to reach our daily goal of covering a scheduled amount of kilometers. As soon as we left the camp, we came to a large polynya. It’s spread out from north to south, and we didn’t have any other choice but to move along its edge. A few times we saw a seal. We knew right away that it can only mean that our meeting with a polar bear is guaranteed. Sure enough, a few hours into our morning, Victor spotted fresh bear tracks, and then about an hour later we saw the actual bear. As soon as the dogs sensed the bear they started to pull towards him and we had to pull them back; it would take him mere minutes to turn them into ribbons. To chase him away we fired our shotgun in the air and he got spooked, but after a short while came back again. His pursuit and our chasing him away continued the entire day. The smart beast knew to come against the wind so the dogs wouldn’t be able to whiff his scent. He turned out to be quite a determined big fella; obviously he hasn’t met too many humans. We must ask for more shells for our 12 mm caliber shotgun; otherwise, we won’t have enough ammo if the bear continues to follow us. Our night is going to be stressful. We set up camp with the dogs on both sides of the tent: six on the left and six on the right. Today we ran only 21 km even though the route was pretty good. Wasted too much time dealing with the bear. Our coordinates are 87@@apos@@ 20@@apos@@@@apos@@ North Latitude and 56@@apos@@ 56@@apos@@@@apos@@ West Longitude.”

Expedition is using satellite tracking beacons – Yellow Brick. Current position is here: http://yb.tl/konyukhov

On April 18th Fedor Konyukhov phoned his office in Moscow with some good and encouraging news: “Today was the most successful day since the start of the expedition. We have crossed the 88@@apos@@ of North Latitude and now our coordinates are 87@@apos@@59@@apos@@@@apos@@ North Latitude and 57@@apos@@37@@apos@@@@apos@@ West Longitude. Therefore, it took us less than two weeks to cover 2@@apos@@, and this correlates with our initial schedule. Another reason to call it a successful day is that today we ran 27 km. The sea ice drift is to our advantage as well, good 7 km per night in our favor

Details

On April 18th Fedor Konyukhov phoned his office in Moscow with some good and encouraging news: “Today was the most successful day since the start of the expedition. We have crossed the 88@@apos@@ of North Latitude and now our coordinates are 87@@apos@@59@@apos@@@@apos@@ North Latitude and 57@@apos@@37@@apos@@@@apos@@ West Longitude. Therefore, it took us less than two weeks to cover 2@@apos@@, and this correlates with our initial schedule. Another reason to call it a successful day is that today we ran 27 km. The sea ice drift is to our advantage as well, good 7 km per night in our favor. Today we didn’t see any open water, which allowed us to keep a steady rhythm with only slight interruptions of occasional deep snow. The scenery around us is encouraging: a lot of hummocky ice and deep snow. All our equipment is working really well, and the charging is happening at night via the solar batteries.”

The office of Fedor Konyukhov receives a numerous amount of phone calls and e-mails with questions about a daily life of the two explores and their dogs on this journey. Here are some of the questions, and the answers provided by Fedor in his recent phone call to the office in Moscow.

Question: “What kind of dog food do you carry with you: dry or canned?

Answer: The dogs eat the dry food by Royal Canin (one of the official sponsors of the expedition). In addition we give them some supplements. The dogs eat once a day, in the evening after running all day. They eat a total of 7 kg of the dog food per feed. All of the dogs are well adapted by now to running on the sea ice. The first few days, they were not sure and looked quite bewildered by the situation. This is their first arctic exposure, except Cherke, who has done this kind of running before.

Question: Is it necessary to give water to the dogs or they eat snow?

Answer: The dogs eat snow.

Question: What are some basic commands you give to the dogs?

Answer: Haw: command for left turn, Gee: command for right turn, Ale: same as GO!, Whoa: as in STOP!

Question: When do you plan to get to the land? It is worrisome if you guys can make it on ice before it turns into open water since you have at least another month before reaching Greenland.

Answer: Yes, it is worrisome what lies ahead and in what condition the ice will be by mid-May. We knew this would be a major problem, and that’s why our start was scheduled as early as possible - the first week of April, exactly when the “Barneo” station begun to operate and receive An-74 plane.Speaking of polynya, just yesterday, we came to a pretty large polynya, and Victor and I stopped to talk about our approach when all of a sudden with a loud crash a large hummock came down not too far from us. Not wasting a moment, we mushed the dogs across this “bridge”, thanking God for His providence.

Question: Is it possible to receive help without the landing of a plane?

Answer: Yes, it is a possibility if the Canadian plane of Kenn Borek Air won’t be able to find the solid ice next to our camp. The first help from air will arrive tentatively between April 30 and May 1.

As we continue to advance in the direction of south, we will encounter more and more open water, but that is something to be expected. At the temperature of -25@@apos@@ C, there is a fog hanging above the open water and it can get really thick resembling the smoke from a fire. This can look a bit surreal.

Cheers to all!”

Fedor and Victor.

Expedition is using satellite tracking beacons – Yellow Brick. Current position is here: http://yb.tl/konyukhov

It took five days for Victor Simonov and Fedor Konyukhov to cover the first 100 km of their journey North Pole – South Greenland. Their sled and 12 dogs took off from the top of the world on April 6th heading south towards Victoria Fjord. The first day the explorers covered 7 km, and as soon as they set up a camp for the night, Fedor broadcast their coordinates via the satellite phone (provided by Iridium Communications).The next day they left 20 km behind and encountered a lot of open water, which only confirmed their initial predictions that this journey will be extremely dangerous and difficult

Details

It took five days for Victor Simonov and Fedor Konyukhov to cover the first 100 km of their journey North Pole - South Greenland. Their sled and 12 dogs took off from the top of the world on April 6th heading south towards Victoria Fjord. The first day the explorers covered 7 km, and as soon as they set up a camp for the night, Fedor broadcast their coordinates via the satellite phone (provided by Iridium Communications).

The next day they left 20 km behind and encountered a lot of open water, which only confirmed their initial predictions that this journey will be extremely dangerous and difficult.

During the first few days, Fedor and Victor had a few visitors arriving on Mi-8 from the Barneo arctic station. Amongst them were Nikolay Patrushev, director of the Russian FSB and Artur Chilingarov, vice-president of the Russian Geographical Society. For the landing the pilots were using the coordinates that Fedor provided via navigation equipment provided by “NIS-GLONASS”. The coordinates were right on the dot.

Foto: RTI

There is a particular group of children that is following Fedor and Victor’s adventure really closely. A certain school №227 in Moscow has a youth radio station called RU3AWH which was set up and equipped by RTISYSTEMS. Since RTISYSREMS is one of the sponsors of the project “North Pole-Greenland” it was only fitting for Fedor Konyukhov to visit the radio station and have a small conference with the young radio amateurs. At the conference Fedor was asked if he’d be willing to make a regular radio contact with the RU3AWH club using the equipment provided by NIIDAR and RTISYSTEMS. Fedor and Victor agreed that it was a great proposition and opportunity for the children to follow the expedition and see how the technology works in the cold Arctic climate. When Fedor is broadcasting on the air (R0FK is his call name) at the specific time on a certain day of the week, not only the school radio station can hear him, but anyone who has the access to the radio technology that can pick up the shortwaves. It is surprising how many radio amateurs are out there who do tune in for some news from the famous explorer. On his first attempt to connect with the land, Fedor’s call name R0FK was immediately picked up by someone from the Republic of Karelia. After that, numerous calls from all over Russia and Europe: Moscow, Chabarovsk, Biysk, Prague . . . Everyone who was able to jump into the conversation was excited: Fedor Konyukhov himself on the wave and from the North Pole! That was the jackpot for a lot of his fans.

Foto: RTI

As of right now, Fedor and Victor have adapted to their daily schedule quite well and they are meeting their goal of 20 km per day. Both explorers and their dogs are feeling and doing well. Their first destination is Victoria Fjord which lies in the Peary Land.

We will continue to follow Fedor, Victor and their dog’s adventure and post news updates.

Expedition is using satellite tracking beacons – Yellow Brick. Current position is here: http://yb.tl/konyukhov

On April 3rd, 2013 together with Victor Simonov, Fedor Konyukhov bid his farewell before setting off to the North Pole – Greenland journey. A farewell ceremony took place in the village Matrosi (30 km off of Petrozavodsk). It was attended by state personnel of the Republic of Karelia, journalists, sponsors’ representatives and of course a large crowd of the people who are interested in this event and came to wish their best to the two explorers

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On April 3rd, 2013 together with Victor Simonov, Fedor Konyukhov bid his farewell before setting off to the North Pole - Greenland journey. A farewell ceremony took place in the village Matrosi (30 km off of Petrozavodsk). It was attended by state personnel of the Republic of Karelia, journalists, sponsors’ representatives and of course a large crowd of the people who are interested in this event and came to wish their best to the two explorers.

At the ceremony Victor Simonov announced that all 12 dogs are of the Siberian Husky breed and that all of them except one were raised and trained in his kennels, right in the Matrosi village of Karelia.

On April 4th together with the 12 dogs, 2 sleds of 80 kg (when empty) and 25 people of various relations to the expedition, Fedor and Victor will board the An74 aircraft provided by “Utair” Aviation Company. The first stop is Spitsbergen (Longyear settlement), then off to Russian Camp Barneo. Fedor and Victor plan to start the North Pole- Greenland trek on April 6th. While at Camp Barneo (which is pretty close to the North Pole), the two explorers will be flown on a helicopter to the North Pole. Fedor plans to place a Russian Orthodox Church Cross at the North Pole and conduct a service of supplication to honor 1025 years since the Christianization of Kievan Rus@@apos@@. The expedition has received a blessing from the bishop Kiril, the Patriarch of Moscow and all the Rus@@apos@@.

In 2006 two Russian explorers Georgiy Karpenko and Artur Chubarkin reached the North Pole on dog sleds. All of the dogs were strictly of Siberian Husky breed. One of the dogs, 9 years old Cherke will run together with Fedor and Victor’s dogs. Once the team reaches Greenland, they will be joined by 14 more dogs of Greenland Husky breed.

It will be Fedor’s 4th arrival at the North Pole: in 1988 he reached the Pole together with the team of Dmitriy Shparo; in 1989 with the expedition “Arctica” under the leadership of Vladimir Chukov; and in 1990 Fedor conquered the Pole solo. This time though, Fedor will be leaving the North Pole heading towards Greenland.

The expedition is planned to take approximately 4 months. This arctic route has never been completed and is considered the most challenging area in the entire Arctic region. Despite the prognosis, both Fedor and Victor are very optimistic and remain with the most positive attitude: “We are eager to begin our adventure. It’s getting quite warm here for our dogs, but at the North Pole the temperature is the most optimal for them- negative 38. As for me and Victor, the harder the frost the better for us,”- remarked Fedor.

In April-August of 2013, Fedor Konyukhov and Victor Simonov will undertake a unique expedition of crossing the Arctic expanse by dogsled. The uniqueness of the expedition is in the route itself. Fedor and Victor are planning to dogsled from the North Pole and all the way down to the southern coast of Greenland (Narsarsuaq). During the four month expedition they will have to overcome four thousand kilometers of the drift-ice and Ice Cap of Greenland. This is one of the longest routes in the Arctic, which will become an extreme test of human possibilities for both explorers

Details

In April-August of 2013, Fedor Konyukhov and Victor Simonov will undertake a unique expedition of crossing the Arctic expanse by dogsled. The uniqueness of the expedition is in the route itself. Fedor and Victor are planning to dogsled from the North Pole and all the way down to the southern coast of Greenland (Narsarsuaq). During the four month expedition they will have to overcome four thousand kilometers of the drift-ice and Ice Cap of Greenland. This is one of the longest routes in the Arctic, which will become an extreme test of human possibilities for both explorers.

One of the objectives of the expedition, in the run-up to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, is to draw the attention of International Olympic Committee to this sport. The goal is to see that dog sled racing is included in the Winter Olympic Games.

The Republic of Karelia was intentionally chosen as the starting point for this expedition. Apart from being the “Russian gates to the Arctic”, the Republic of Karelia is actively developing mushing that is becoming one of the attractions in sport tourism in the region. Today Karelia is the only region in Russia, where the World Cup of dog-sled racing takes place, as well as the other major international competitions in this sport, both for the short and marathon distances. Thanks to its entertainment dog sled racing is gaining popularity and great interest among the athletes and spectators in Karelia, Russia, and its European neighbors. For the leg #1 - North Pole – North of Greenland expedition will have dogs raised in the kennels of the Republic of Karelia and trained specifically for this expedition. For the Greenland Ice Cap leg Fedor and Victor plan to use Greenlandic husky.

Fedor Konyukhov and Victor Simonov started from North Pole on 06 April of 2013 under the auspices of the Russian Geographical Society and the government of the Republic of Karelia. The expedition is scheduled to finish in August of 2013 near Narsarsuaq.

Due to the vast area of Greenland Ice Cap expedition needs to have 3 airplane (helicopter) resupplies. Therefore the route of the expedition in Greenland:

Fiord Victoria. 81 degrees North and 50 degrees West. First resupply.

Waypoint #1. 73 degrees North.

Waypoint #2. 66 degrees North.

Finish. Expedition will be picked up by helicopters near Narsarsuaq – southernmost airport of Greenland.

Expedition is not planning to visit any local settlement and aiming to stay on top of the Ice Cap of Greenland for the whole duration of the trip.

All this logistic and cooperation needs to be organized by Expedition Headquarter in Moscow (Russia). For better efficiency we plan to set up a temporary headquarter in settlement Tasilaq (Kulusuk) – which is on the east side of Greenland. For the period May –June-July.

2 support team members Oscar Konyukhov (a son of Fedor Konyukhov) and Vladimir Zaytsev need to stay in East Greenland in order to organize all logistic accordingly. They need long term multi entry visas.

Back in the 70s, the legendary Japanese adventurer Naomi Uemura defied northern latitudes and paved the route for his dogsled from the coast of Canada to the North Pole, and then back via Greenland. However, he was not able to complete his undertaking. After that, explorers from different countries (Norway, Italy, USA, and Denmark) were trying to conquer the Arctic ice by dog sledding. None of the expeditions succeeded. Fedor Konyukhov and Victor Simonov plan to dog sled the Naomi’s route completely.

This expedition should enhance the credibility of Russia as the Arctic state power. Also, it will contribute to the development of dog sledding as a sport which has already gained popularity in the Republic of Karelia. One of the main objectives of the expedition, in the run-up to the Winter Olympics in Sochi, is to draw the attention of the Russian Olympic Committee and International Olympic Committee to this sport. The goal is to see that dog sled racing is included in the Winter Olympic Games.

The Republic of Karelia was intentionally chosen as the starting point for this expedition. Apart from being the “Russian gates to the Arctic”, the Republic of Karelia is actively developing mushing that is becoming one of the attractions in sport tourism in the region. Today Karelia is the only region in Russia, where the World Cup of dog-sled racing takes place, as well as the other major international competitions in this sport, both for the short and marathon distances. Thanks to its entertainment dog sled racing is gaining popularity and great interest among the athletes and spectators in Karelia, Russia, and its European neighbors. The expedition “Karelia - North Pole - South of Greenland” will only have dogs raised in the kennels of the Republic of Karelia and trained specifically for this expedition.

Fedor and Victor plan to take off in April of 2013 under the auspices of the Russian Geographical Society and the government of the Republic of Karelia. The expedition is supported by Artur Chilingarov, a special representative for the Artica and Antarctica to the President of the Russian Federation. Mr. Chilinagrov is the vice-president of the Russian Geographical Society.

On December 12, 2012, Feodor Konyukhov announced that his new project of solo rowing across the Pacific Ocean is scheduled to start in December of 2013. In early December of this year, Fedor flew to England to visit the famous naval architect Phil Morrison to finalize the design of his new ocean row boat. The boat (working title “K9”) will be constructed in Demon Yachts in Ipswich, East Coast of England. In 2002, Fedor asked Phil Morrison to design him a light/fast one off ocean rowboat that was to become the famous Uralaz. On that rowboat Fedor set out across the Atlantic Ocean leaving La Gomera and reaching Barbados in just 46 days

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On December 12, 2012, Feodor Konyukhov announced that his new project of solo rowing across the Pacific Ocean is scheduled to start in December of 2013. In early December of this year, Fedor flew to England to visit the famous naval architect Phil Morrison to finalize the design of his new ocean row boat. The boat (working title “K9”) will be constructed in Demon Yachts in Ipswich, East Coast of England. In 2002, Fedor asked Phil Morrison to design him a light/fast one off ocean rowboat that was to become the famous Uralaz. On that rowboat Fedor set out across the Atlantic Ocean leaving La Gomera and reaching Barbados in just 46 days. That became a new world record for a solo row across the Atlantic. The design of the boat was so successful that it was used to build more than 20 ocean rowboats.

The person in charge of building and equipping the boat is Charlie Pitcher. In Febraury 2010, Charlie has done solo rowboat crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in just 54 days, beating both the race and UK solo records. In January 2013, he will be starting another solo across the Atlantic to set a new world record of 40 days. Read more about Charlie Pitcher here.

The project manager is another famous ocean rower - Simon Chalk. He is also known for putting together the races across the Atlantic Ocean. This Englishman has had 4 successful crossings of the Atlantic Ocean and 2 of the Indian Ocean. In 2003, Simon rowed the Indian Ocean in 108 days – becoming the youngest, fastest and the first Briton to row this ocean solo. Simon and his crew of seven people are gearing up for another rowing of the Atlantic in January 2013. The team will attempt to set a new world record by crossing the Atlantic ocean in 30 days. The existing record for teams is 32 days. Read more here.

Fedor Konyukhov: “Rowing solo across the Pacific Ocean is an extreme mission and we need the help of the professionals in this field. To cross the Atlantic you are faced with 3000 nautical miles and that you can manage in one season. In contrast, rowing across the Pacific Ocean, from the coast of Chile to the east coast of Australia, you are up against 8000 nautical miles. We are thinking that 180-200 days in the ocean is a given for this kind of project. Understandably, one season won’t be enough. I plan to start in December of 2013 (summer in the Southern Hemisphere) and finish the rowing by the fall of 2014. The heavy storms will be inevitable as I near Australia. The boat will undergo colossal pressure, and I need the latest technology in building and equipping the row boat. That’s why I asked for Charlie and Simon’s help in organizing this project. It’s a great advantage that they both have extensive experience in building their ocean row boats. In addition, Simon has put together ocean races and I will rely on his knowledge to get the boat to Chile from England, and helping me with the logistics of crossing from Chile to Australia.”

For the last 10 years the row boat design has gone through major changes, but for his future row-boat Fedor decided to keep the classic design of his previous boat “Uralaz”. The 9 meters long and 1.5 meters wide boat will have a carbon structure, which will result in much lighter weight compared to the “Uralaz”. It will carry 5 watertight bulkheads, two types of steering gear (stationary and emergency), and large compartments to store food and equipment.

A city-port Valparaiso, Chile is noted as a potential starting point. Estimate travel time is 200 days, and the finishing line is the east coast of Australia.

This project is financed by Fedor Knoukhov’s friends: two entrepreneurs from Chelyabinsk region - Oleg Sirotin and Sergey Eremenko.

There have been more than 30 solo crossings of the Pacific Ocean from East to West. However, as of today, there has been no solo crossing of this Ocean from the continent of South America to the continent of Australia. Here is a list of some of the ocean rowers that have made it across the Pacific, albeit touching the shores of the Australian continent.

Name/Country

Start

Finish

Starting point

Finishing point

Amount of days in the ocean

Distance covered (nautical miles)

Anders Svedlun (Sweden).

27.02.74

06.09.74

Huasco, Chile.

Papehue, on the west coast of Tahiti.

191

6462

Peter Bird (England), the first person to row the width of the Pacific.

23.08.82

14.06.83

San-Francisco (USA).

Great Barrier Reef (33 miles from the Australian mainland)

294

6000

Jim Shekhdar

(England).

29.06.00

30.03.01

Peru.

North Stradbrooke Island off Brisbane (Australia)

274

10652

Maud Fontenoy (France), the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean.

On May 19, 2012 at 6:15 a.m. Nepal time, Fedor Konyukhov together with the Russian team “7 Summits” stood on top of Mt. Everest. Their climbing route was via the Northern Ridge (Tibet). This expedition was devoted to two different events: the 20th anniversary of the first ascent of Mt. Everest by the Russians (via the Southern Col) and to the 20th anniversary of founding of the Modern Academy for the Humanities. Both of these events are very relevant to Fedor

Details

On May 19, 2012 at 6:15 a.m. Nepal time, Fedor Konyukhov together with the Russian team “7 Summits” stood on top of Mt. Everest. Their climbing route was via the Northern Ridge (Tibet). This expedition was devoted to two different events: the 20th anniversary of the first ascent of Mt. Everest by the Russians (via the Southern Col) and to the 20th anniversary of founding of the Modern Academy for the Humanities. Both of these events are very relevant to Fedor. Since 1999, he’s been employed by MAH as the head of the MAH Laboratory for Distance Learning in Extreme Conditions. Twenty years ago, on May 11th, 1992 together with Evgeniy Vinogradskiy, Fedor made his first ascent of Mt. Everest.

According to experts, the 2012 season has proven to be one of the most difficult anyone can remember. Due the persistent storms in March and April, the entire snow cover of Mt. Everest was smitten. The climbers had to climb on bare rocks or very dense ice. Several expeditions had to cancel their ascent this season. The “7 Summits” team did not depart from their original plan. This season they became the first European climbers to ascend Mt. Everest via the Northern Ridge. Here is what Alexander Abramov, leader of the expedition, has told us by phone: “Hello! Today, at 6 in the morning we, the first group of our expedition, were standing on top of Mt. Everest. There are 14 of us in this group: seven Sherpa and 7 climbers. And we had to stay there until 7 in the morning due to the fact that it was pitch dark and we had to wait for some light to make photos of all the flags that we carried. In the end, we were able to see the sunrise from on top of Mt. Everest. We were frozen like dogs, everything froze. At this moment we are already at the camp on the Northern Col: at the height of 7000 meters, away from imminent danger, drinking some hot tea. In 15 minutes we will continue our descent to ABC. What else is worthy of mentioning? Basically, everyone, except one person Aznor, had already been on top of Mt. Everest before. When we were about to reach the top, we let Aznor go ahead and be the first person in our group to step on top of the Mountain. Solemnly, we told him: ‘here is the rope; it is wide open for you now.’We were the first ones this year to summit Mt. Everest via the Northern ridge. Of course, the Sherpa were here before us to lay all the rope railings.”

This first group of the “7 Summits” expedition was composed of 7 people, most of whom are very experienced climbers: the leader of the expedition Alexandr Abramov - 4th ascent of Mt. Everest; medical personnel Sergey Larin – 5th ascent; Ivan Dusharin – 3rd ascent; Fedor Konyukhov- 2nd ascent; Maxim Shakirov – 2nd ascent; Lioudmila Korobeshko - 2nd ascent and Aznor Khadzhiev – 1st ascent. Aznor is the first citizen of Ingushetia to reach the top of Mt. Everest.

Fedor Konyukhov is the first priest of the first Russian Orthodox Church to successfully climb Mt. Everest. He took the icon of St. Nicholas to the Summit with him. The same icon of St. Nicholas traveled with Fedor on all 4 of his sailing circumnavigations.

Fedor Konyukhov is also the first Russian who was able to complete the seven summits between 1992 and 1997. This ascent of Mt. Everest, Fedor completed at the age of 60 and 5 months years old.

Congratulations to the “7 Summits” Mt. Everest expedition!

The General partner of the Mt. Everest expedition 2012 is the Modern Academy for the Humanities. Founded in October 1992 as the Modern University for the Humanities it was granted status of an “Academy” in 2003 by the Ministry of Education of Russian Federation, and subsequently was renamed to the Modern Academy for the Humanities (MAH). During the last 20 years MAH has trained and educated more than 300 thousands students.

A message in a bottle thrown into the sea in 2009 by a Russian crew of seafarers near Cape Horn was found this month half a world away by an 83-year-old diver in Australia.A crew of eight, headed by prominent Russian adventurer Fyodor Konyukhov, sailed in a yacht from Australia to South America and the Falkland Islands, Konyukov’s son Oskar, a participant of the expedition, told RIA Novosti on Monday.Upon passing Cape Horn, one of South America’s southernmost points, the crew wrote a message documenting their travel, put it into the bottle of champagne that they emptied after navigating the dangerous passage around the cape and threw it into

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A message in a bottle thrown into the sea in 2009 by a Russian crew of seafarers near Cape Horn was found this month half a world away by an 83-year-old diver in Australia.

A crew of eight, headed by prominent Russian adventurer Fyodor Konyukhov, sailed in a yacht from Australia to South America and the Falkland Islands, Konyukov’s son Oskar, a participant of the expedition, told RIA Novosti on Monday.

Upon passing Cape Horn, one of South America’s southernmost points, the crew wrote a message documenting their travel, put it into the bottle of champagne that they emptied after navigating the dangerous passage around the cape and threw it into the sea on February 12, 2009, Konyukhov Jr. said.

This month, three crew members who specified their email addresses in the letter were contacted by Australian resident Maryanne Jordan Clifford, who said that their message in a bottle was finally received.

On February 12, 2012, exactly three years after the bottle was thrown into the sea, it was found on the beach of the town of Beachport in South Australia, by Clifford’s father Mick Jordan, 83, a diver who has been fishing for crayfish and abalone in those parts for most of his adult life, Clifford said.

During its journey, the bottle traversed the Atlantic and Indian oceans, covering a distance of more than 17,000 kilometers (10,000 miles). The region where it ended up is located a mere four-hour drive away from the Jacobs Creek winery where the bottle was originally produced.

“It’s a small world,” Oskar Konyukhov said in emailed comments.

Hello,

Please find attached your message in a bottle found just off Beachport in South East Australia on 12th February 2012 by my father when he was diving for crayfish. He is 83 years old.

I have attached photos of your bottle and my father (Mick Jordan) at the place he found the bottle on the beach at Beachport. At this spot my father catches crayfish and abalone and has been for most of his adult life. It is also amazing also that the Champagne bottle you placed the note in was from the Jacobs Creek winery in «The Barossa Valley» here in South Australia only 4 hours drive from us. As well as the fact that it was exactly 3 years to the day that the bottle was found.

Can you please contact me and please translate if possible as we are having trouble with the translation. Looking forward to your response.